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Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 3.1.17

posted by PHADP
on Wed, 03/01/2017 - 11:39

Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 3.1.17

The bills to address judicial override have now made it through the Senate but still need approval in the House. Yesterday Esther attended the Alabama Arise Legislative Day and the Press Conference with Senator Dick Brewbaker and Representative Chris England, the sponsors of the judicial override bills. She was invited to stand next to them and had the opportunity to thank both legislators. She was encouraged by Senator Brewbaker’s statements that this bill came most probably a decade too late and that he hoped that the House bill with the 12-0 jury vote requirement, the more favorable one of the two, would be the one to be adopted.

Staff at Alabama Arise during the Issue Briefing which preceded the press conference was gracious enough to introduce Esther as the voice for abolition in Alabama which then led to a taped interview with the News Director of WBHM, public radio supported service of the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

In addition as always because that is what Alabama Arise stands for there were opportunities to network with friends and make new ones. Thank you Alabama Arise!

Meanwhile the new Attorney General has asked the Alabama Supreme Court to expedite the setting of an execution date for Thomas Arthur linking the request to justice for the murder victim family members. Poor Lady Justice she gets dragged into everything, even State murder! And, not too surprisingly the Alabama Attorney General's Office says a death row inmate's claim that the state's last execution was "badly botched is highly exaggerated and incorrect."

We were proud of the great article about Gary Drinkard who spoke at the University of North Alabama last Friday. Not only was Gary on our board while at Holman but he joined our Advisory Board after his exoneration. Gary tells us that he always lifts up our organization when he speaks around the country with Witness to Innocence and we appreciate that very much. We noticed the increase of members on our Facebook page after he spoke. Thank you Gary for not forgetting us!

The latest edition of our newsletter On Wings of Hope is already at the printer and will be in the mail very shortly. A great job by the Board writing, typing and formatting, all done under challenging conditions!